Motor control for toy electric locomotives



May 6, 1930. F. MlzE MOTOR CONTROL FOR TOY ELECTRIC LOOOMOTIvEs 5Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 4. 1.926

May 6, 193C. F. MIZ

IOTOR CONTROL FOR TOY ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVES Flled June 4 1926 v A3SheetsSheetl May 6,1930. F. M lzE MOTOR"CONTR OL FOR TOY ELECTRICLOCOMOTIVES K Filed June 4, 1926 5 Sheets-Sheet 3v IMT/YE sse-5.'-

Patented May 6, 1.930

UNiTED STATES PATENT oFFIcs i rnnn Mrzn, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AssrenonTo AMERICAN FLYER MFG'. co., or I CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, `A CORPORATON OFILLINOES MOTOR CONTROL FOR TOY'ELECTRC LOCOMOTIVES Application mdrimedi, 192e. serial No. 113,796.

This invention relates to toy electricl loco! motives, and moreparticularly to novel means for controlling the current to the motorwhereby the direction of movement of the locomotive may be reversed in asimple and practical manner.

A primary object of the invention is to provide means adapted tobe-automatically actuated by the control of the circuit from thetransformer usually used in connection with toy electric train outfits,whereby the opening and closing of the circuit by manipulating the.rheostat handle of the transformer will cause the operation of anelectrical device which in turn renders mechanical means op-Y erable forthrowing a switch carried by the locomotive to reverse the current tothe terminals of the motor.Y That isV to say, it is pro-V- Culver patentin' the respect that the reversing of the switch onthe locomotivecontrols both the motor and the headlights, but instead 0f the switch onthe locomotive being actuated by an abutment in the trackwaiy'it isoperated by means carried onthe locomotive and controlled by themanipulation of the transformer which feeds the current to the tracksystem. Also, in theV foregoing connection the present inventioncontemplates a carrying forward of the invention shown and described inthe BeckeriPate'nt No. 1.589,096 dated June 15, 1926 wherein a specialform of reversing switch is used to re-V verse the current to the motorand headlights, the said switch being operated through the intermediaryof an actuator which is engaged by an abutment in the trackway.

Accordingly, the present invention contemplates track circuit controlledmeans for in turn cont-rolling the actuating means for the switch,thereby rendering it unnecessary to provide special track labutments andrendering the' control of the locomotive entirely automatic through themeans for con trolling the track circuit, usually Va transformer. Thetransformer in thisfcase acts as a switch to open and close the circuitor if not actually` opening and closing the circuit to reduce thevoltagev to suchan extent thaty the resistance inthe track system willserve t0`cut` down the current to the electro-magnetic control means sothat lit will automatically` release the switch actuating means foroperation. p A n' Vx A. further object of the invention is to provide anovel series of instrumentalities for actuatingV the reversing switch,which are so arranged and located that theymay be manually renderedinoperative whenit is desired to vrunthe locomotive in one directiononly,

or onthe other hand make possible the manual control o f the reversingswitch if desired. With the'aboveand other objects in view which willmore readily appear as the nature j of theA invention is betterunderstood, the same consists in thelnovel construction, combination andarrangement 'of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated andclaimed'. I i

@A Vpreferred and practical embodiment of the invention is shown in theaccompanying Vdrawings in which V'Fig lisa vertical sectional view ofthe the present invention. l

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the construcvtion shown 'ink Fig. 1.

motor .unit of atoy locomotive, illustrating i ing the manner in whichthe switch is thrown to the opposite position. Y

Fig. 7 is a horizontalsectional view taken on theline 7-7- of Fig. 1.

Fig. 8 isa diagrammatic view illustrating theY circuits involved. Y

Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughoutthe several figures of thedrawings. Y Y

In carrying the invention into effect it is proposed to provide controlmeans for -the reversing switch contained entirely within the motor unitdesignated generally as U. This unit includes the side frame plates F,one ofV which carries the reversing switch designated generally as R andthe electromagnet'device A forcontrolling the opera when current isbeing supplied to tliemotorl the said device A will lioldi'the lever B1of the actuator B elevated in the dotted line position so that itsforward end is heldzoiitbf contact with the ratchet B1. 'L Y n Y Whenthe circuit to the motor isfcut ofi, the device A will be deenergizedand will permit the lever B1 to drop and be 'actuated by the ratchet B2so that the said lever B1 will throw the switch R and thus reverse theterminals of the switchV so that when the current is again turned on themotor will .rotate in the opposite direction.A vIt will of course beunderstood that whenthe current is again turned on the device-A willlift the lever B1 to the dotted line position (Fig. 1) so that theforward end thereof will be out of the path of operation of the ratchetB1. Y Thus, it will be apparent that the reversing switch R iscontrolled by the actuator B each time the device A is cle-energized,the movement of the lever B1 of the actuator beingrei-ected through themovement ofthe locomotive duc to its momentum, the ratchet B1 being afriction ratchet, as will presently appear.

Referring now more specica-lly to the arrangement and-details ofconstruction wliereby the foregoing novel results are obtained.,

reference may be made to Figs. 1, 2 and v8v from which it will Vbeobserved that the shaft 1 which-carries the friction ratchet wheelV B2isidriven by the motor operated pinion 2 (see Fig. 7) through the mediumof the relaitively large gear 3 mounted on the' shaft 1.

small diameter has a relatively high speed as compared with the gear 3to give the desired power advantage for driving the wheels W.Y The gear3 carries on the face thereof a gear 4 which inturn meshes with thegears 5 on the track engaging wheels W.' This is standard constructionbut is described here Vso that it will be understood how the ratchet B2isdrivenafter the currentl to the motor M is cut oft. i v Y The frameplates F have mounted at their lower side an insulation member 6carrying the trolley T adapted to'engage within the third rail B3 of thetrack system in the usualk manner while `the wheels TW engage with thetrack rails R2, as shown vdiagrammatically in Fig. 8. The third rail B3is'electrically conf tinuous and insulated in the usual manner from themetallic ties while the wheel bearing rails R2 form the ground of thecircult.

Therefore, the trolley Tis directly connectedA plete the circuit throughthe frame of the unit U and wheels WY to the rails 2.1. Also the coil 1Qis Hconnected by wire'll to the middle terminal 12 mounted on thevinsulation piece R of the reversing switch R.

' YThe reversing switchR maybe of the same generalV construction andtype'shown in the Becker patent previously referred to and therefore thesaine will not be described in de-l tail here except in so far as isnecessary to follow out the circuits. Therefore, it may be pointed-outthat in addition to the mainor middle terminal 12 the switch includesthe motor terminalsV 13 and 14 the same being connectedtothe commutatorof the motor through the medium of the wires 15 and 16 respectively.yAlso as will be observed lfrom Figsll, 2 and 8 the terminals 13 and 14may be connected bythe wires 17 and 18 with the front and rearheadlights 19and 20.

"The shiftable metal member 21 of the reversing switch is pivotallysupported in the Vframe as indicated at 22 and may have the cured to themetal member 21 by fastenings 271 and 281 and are therefore grounded.

The contact fingers, 25 and 26 always cooperate with. tlie main terminal12, that is,

they serve to alternatelyconnect the main terminal 12 with the motorterminals 13 and 14. As will be observed from Fig. 5 the mem.

ber 21 n so arranged that the locomotive moves forward. In this positionofthe switch the contactfinger 26 will rest Vuponvterminal ico 12v andthe contact iinge'r25 will rest 'upon motor terminal 13 while groundcontact v28 engages with terminal 14.v When theloco# motive is to bereversed to move backward the switch part 21 is thrown-to the positionshown in Figwhereupon the contact 25 will-en? gage the main terminal'12and c-ontact26`and engage motor terminal 14 and ground con-kv thereversing switch member 21 so that when Y ratchet wheel B2. c

The ratchet wheel B2 is frictionally mount``l the lever B1 slides in thedirection [of its length on the kpin `l it will effect the shifting ofthe member 21. The intermedia-te portion of the lever B1 is-providedwith the laterally offset and horizontally disposed ear 33 which has aslot 34`for loosely and slidably receiving the end 35 of thesolenoid ofthe electromagnet A. Also as will be observed from Fig. 4 the said leverB1 is provided at one end with the laterally offset ratchet engaging lug36 which is adapted to be lifted out of or dropped into engagement withvthe teeth 37 vof the ed onthe shaft 1 by means of the co-il spring 38and washer 39 which holds the spring 38 compressed against the side ofthe disk 32. It will thus be apparent that theratcliet wheel B2 willfrictionally move with the shaft 1 but when the ratchetis held bythe4lug 36 engaging with the teeth 37 thereof, ,the continued movement ofthe locomotive due to its momentum will be permitted withoutdamaging themoving parts of the locomotive.

1f itis desired to render the actuator B inoperative it isv onlynecessary to maintain the lever B1 elevated by means of the cutfoutdevice pivotally carried by one of the frames F and clearly shown inFig. 1. This cut-out device consists of an arm 39 pivotallysupf portedas at 40 and having the offset portion 41 for receiving Vthemanipulating lever 42. When the device is in the full line positionshown -in Fig. 1 theV automatic control of the actuator is permitted,butwhen the arm 42 is pushed to the dottedline yposition shown in Fig. ltheautomatic means is cut-out by automatically maintaining the lever B1elevated so that it cannot fall into the ratchet B2 whenk the magnet isdeenergized. The train Vvwill always run in one direction when thecut-out device is thrown to the dotted line position, regardless of whenthe current is turned on or off. The operation of the device maybebriefly described as follows: f i

Assuming that the wheels YV of the unit U are resting on the trackrailsRZR2 `(Fig. 8)

vbut if a battery of proper voltage should be andthe trolleyT of theunitis resting-.upon the .third rail R3, if therheostat Y of thetransformerZis turned to the on position,

thethird rail R3 and the track rails 'will be charged with electricalcurrent and the electro-magnet A will bel energizedsimultaneouslywiththe furnishingoi the currentlto the motorv M "When theelectro-magnet Ay is energized its solenoid lifts the lever B1 of ktheactuator B, and the motor will run either forwarder backward accordingtothe posi# tion of the reversing switch as shown either in Fig. 5erFig. 6. a .Y Y

Upon desiring to change; the 'direction of travel of the locomotive,therheostat handlek is moved back to the ,oiflpositi'on whereby thecurrent to themotor. is cutVv off and like# `i ywise electro-magnet A is`deenergzed thus causing the lever B to drop so that the lug 36 thereofwill drop into the ratchet B?. As previouslyV explained the ratchet isfrictionally held to the shaft land although the current tothe motorMeis cutoff the locomotive will move ashortdistance dueto its momentumand readily shiftthelever B. longitudinally so vas to shiftthe reversingswitchR." -v .f c' Each time the current is cut on and 'off at thetransformer-rheostat the magnet :A will beienergized and deenergized tocontrol the `arm B1 and the ratchet B2V will move the arm forwardorbackward aswill be readily apparent from Figs. 5 and 6. ,Y

Fromthe foregoing, it will be apparent that the present inventionproviders means fory automaticallyv controlling the reversal of thedirection` of movement of a toy locomotive by V i the` control of thecurrent from thetransformer which usually includesa rheostat, or,

anequivalent device acting-asa switch." vAs 1s well knowntransformersare used merely for the purposek of. stepping down'alternatingecurrent houserservice linesto the low voltage necessary to`operate the toy motor,

used, or current fromany source of suitable voltage used, a mere switchof simple form would serve to control the current insuch av way-that theobject and .intent of the present invention would becarried out.Therefore, it will now bey apparent that the control of the deviceherein claimed is from some remotek point,`as for example, at oradjacent the transformer, but the actual. operating means for causing-areversing of the electrical switchis entirely mechanical, the same beingvention-will be lreadily apparent to those Y slnlledin vthe art,` and itwill of course understood that changes in the form, proportion and minordetails of construction may be resorted to, without departing from thespirit Y of the invention and scope 'of the appended claims.

1. An electric locomotive including a Ydrivingmotor, a reversing switchfor the motor, an actuator including a rotatable and a slidable part forthe switch, electro-magnet means for raising and lowering said'slidablepart when the current to the motor is turned on and oil'. f

2;,An electric locomotive including a driving motor, antoscillatingreversing switch` connected with tliemotor, an actuator includ- Ying arotatable part and a'slidablegpart for the switch, and an electricdevice in circuit withthe drivingmotor and adapted to cause leverorthrowing saidjswitch, and an electrical device in -circuitwith themot-or and adapted to hold said lever in an inoperative position untilthecurrentislcut off Afrom the motor.` w1. t v 4. .Anelectriclocomotiveincludinga reversible driving motor, areversingswitchLfor the motor, an actuatorfor the` reversing switch including a4slidablemember adapted to be shifted vby the over-running movement ofthe locomotive after the-,current has been cut ott from the. drivingmotor, arsrotatable member, and means controlled simultaneously'v withthe lmotor for maintaining said slidable member out olf-.engagementwitlrthe rotatable member until current is cut off from the motor. Y v Y5. An electric locomotive includingareversibledriving motor, amechanical reversing switch for the motor, an actuator fer the switchcomprising a slidable member and a rotatable member operated bythetravelling over-running movement of the locomotive,

Aafter the current has beencut oli tothe driving motor, and anelectro-magnet device ineluded in circuit with the inotorand energizedsimultaneously therewith to maintain said slidable member out ofengagement'with the rotary member of the actuator untilthe currentisgcut oit fromthe motor. 1-

6. An electric locomotive including a reversible driving member, areversing switch for the motor, an actuator for the switch in- -cludinga slidable member interlocled with theimovable part of the switch ZandVa rotatable ratchet member hailfingfa frictional ,mounting onawheeldriven part ofthe locomotive andan electro-magnet included in circuitVwith themotor and connected with said slidable memberwhereby whencurrent is supplied to the motorthe said` electro-magnet maintains thearm inoperative but releases the` sameintoengagemeiit with the ratchetVwhen the current tothe motor is'cut ott.

7. An electric locomotive Vincluding a moen part of the locomotive forengaging said laterally -of-set-lug on .the end ofthe arm, and anelectro-magnetV included in circuit with the motor and having thesolenoid thereof connectedwith said arm whereby when the motor isenergized the magnetrkwill lift the larm `out of the ratchet.

8.An' electric locomotive `including a reversible driving motor,amechanical reversing switch toi-.the motor, automatic actuating meansfor the said switch, including a lever adaptedA toi be shifted by theover-running movement of the locomotive atterthe current has been cutoit from the'driving motor, and

.means for manually rendering saidlever inoperative. l Y

9. An electric locomotive including a reversible driving motor, areversing switch for v the motor, automatic actuating means for theswitch including a lever, a magnet and a member for moving the lever,anda manually operated member for engaging said lever or renderingfsaidautomatic means inoperative.v

l0. An electric locomotive including a reversing driving motor, areversing switchfor the motor, automatic actuatingvmeans for the switchkincludingV a pivoted sliding lever, means for rendering said leverinoperative, and a handle vfor manually operatingthe switch when thelevervis, rendered inoperative.

l1. An electric locomotive including a driving motor, a mechanicalreversing switch for the motor, an actuator for the switch including alever connected with the switch anda lever engaging member movable bythe wheels of the locomotive, and electro-mechanical means controlledsimultaneously with the motor :tor rendering said lever operative or'12. An electric locomotive including a driv- 13. Ina toy railwaysystem,ftliecon1bina'. tion with the tracks andthe source of'velectricalenergy therefor, of a locomotive having a reversible motor, and meanscarried by the locomotive for eifecting the reversal ofthe motor, saidmeans including a switch and momentum operated electro-mechanical meansoperated from the source of `energy which `fee-ds the motor butindependentof the motor and also by the over-running movement of helocomotive. l

14. In atoy electric railway system, the combination with the tracksandVthe source of electrical energy, of a locomotive having a reversible`driving motor, a shiftable mechanical switch for the motor, and means`ior v actuating said switch when the source of electrical energy isinterrupted, said means comprising an electro-mechanical device having apart operated from said source of energy but independent of the motorand'another part by the over-running movement of the locomotive.

15. A train control for toy electric railway f systems including incombination With the tracks and the source of electrical energy, of aWheeled Vehicle havinga driving motor, a

reversingswitchfor the motor, an electromechanically controlled devicefor actuating said switch when the source of energy is interrupted andthe vehicle continues to: run When the energy is cut oli, the electriccontrol means being independentV ofbut inv parallel with the motor, anda primary ycontrol g device ar 1anged between the source .of energy andthe tracks to provide a remote control for the motor and the said`electro-'mechanical means. 'Y Y In testimony whereof l hereunto ailixVmy signature.

FRED Miara.

